Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1887-09-24
Acc0MAC g a. VA SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER a. 1881

prosecuted ana defend them, and they nre APP
to forget tho faults of those who arc the sub
jects of attack while attempting to drive
baol the slandcrers. Helen Stirk, q Scotch
martyr condemned with her husband tt
rieath for Chlist's sake. said to her husband
"Rejoico; we have lived together muny joy
full days. but this day wherein we must die
together ought to be most joyful to US both
Therefore will not bid you good night, fol-
soon we shall meet i'll the heavenly Kingdom
BY the flash of the furnace best Christian
character is demonstrated.
l go into another department, and find
TINT those great denominations Of Christians
which huve been most abused havo spread the
most rapidly. No good man was ever more
viely maltrcatcd than John Wesley. His
followers were booted ut and muligncd, and
called b. every dctestnblc namo that Internal
ingenuity could Invent, but tile hotter the
persecution tho more rapid the spread Of tllat
denomination, until you know What great
Lost they have become and whne n trctnerf-
doHs force for God and the truth they are
welding all the world over. Iewas persecu-
ton that5gavrrS otland ito Presby terianisnl.
'Tt was persecution which gave our
own land first to civil liberty and
aftcrward to religious freedom. Yea.
may go further back and soy 1t YVES per-
secution that gave tho world the great saliva
ton of the Gospel Tho ribaid mockery,
the hungering,and thirsting, tho Unjust trial
and ignomnious death where all the force of
hells fury wns hurled against tho cross, was
the introduction of that religion Which is yet
to be the earths tleliverancc from guilt and
suffering. and her everlasting enthronelnent
among tho principal;ties of heaven. The
state has sometimes said to the church: "Colne
let me take your hand and will help you. "
What has been tho result? Tho church has
gone back and has lost its estate OF holiness
and has become ineffective. At other times
the state has said TO the church: ~ will crush
you." What has been the result? After the
storms lave spent their fury, The Church, SO
far from having lost any of its force, has III
creased and is worth infinitely more after the
assault than before it. Tue church is far
more indebted to the opposition of civil gov
eminent than to its approval. The fires OF
the stake have only been tho torches which
Christ held in his hand, by the light Of which
the church has marched to her present po-
sition. In the sound of racks and implements
of torture hear the rumbling of the wheels
of the Gospel chariot. ScafTolds of martyr
dom have been the stairs by which the church
has assembled. Aquafortis is the best test OF
pure gold.
Furthermore, our subject impresses lis that
sins will come to exposure. Long, long ago
had these brothers sold Joseph into Egypt
They had suppressed tho crime, and it vas
profound secret well Kept by the brothers.
But suddenly the secret is out. The Old
father hears that his sou is in Egypt, having
been sold there by the malice Of his own
brothers How their checks must have
burned and their hearts sunk ut the flaming
out of this suppressed crime. The smallest
iniouity has thousand tongues and they will
blub out an exposure. Saul was sent to de-
stroy the Guarantees, their sheep and their
oxen. But when he got down there among
tile pastures he saw some fine sheep and oxen
too fat to kill, and SO lie thought he would
steal them. He drove them toward homo, but
stopped to report to theprophet how well no
had executed his commission, when in the
distance the sheep began to bleat and tic oxen
to hollow. The secret was out and Samuel
said to the blushing and COMPOUNDED Saul:
w bot means tie bleating OF tho sheep that l
hear anil tho lowing of the cattlep Aye,
my heakers you cannot keep Ill iniQuity
quiet. August the wrong time the sheep will
bleat and tue ossss., viii below. Achan ciil,
not not steal the sBddby lonis6 garment; without
getting stoned to death, nor Benedict Arnold
betray his country without having his neck
stretched Look over tho public arrests,
these thieves, these burglars, these sdulter-
crs, these counterfeiters, these highwaymen,
these assassins They ell thought they
could bury their iniquity so deep down
that it would never come to resurrec-
ton. But there was somo shoe that an
swcred to the print III the sand, some false
keys found in possession, some bloody knife
that whispered Of the deed, and tile public
and the nnntheme of outraged
law hurled him ir.o the Tombs or hoisted
him OIL the gallows. At the close of the
battle between tho dauphin OF France and
the Helvctinns, Burchard Monk was so
oatod with the victory tlnt he lifted his
helmet TO luok off upon the Fed, when
soldier hurled stone that struck
his uncovered forehead and be fell. Sin will
always leave some point exposed, and there
is no safety in iniquity. Fruncis l, king of
France, was discussing how it was best to
get his army into Italy. Amaril, the court
fool sprang out from the corner and said
to the king and his staff officers:
'sYou had better be thinking how you
will get Your army bncl1 out of Italy after
once you have entered" In other words,
it is easier for us to get into sin thnn to get
ont of it. Whtcfield was riding on horse
bacl, in n lonely way with some missionary
money III q sack fastened to the saddle bags.
A highwayman sprang out from the thicket
and put bis hand out toward the gold, when
Whitefeld turned upon him and said: "Tbat
belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ; touch it If
YOU dare" and the villain fell back empty
handed into the tlicket Oh, the power OF
conscience! If offended, it becomes Gods
avcngirg minister. Do not think that you
cali hide any great and protracted sin in your
hearts. In all unguarded moment 1t will
slip of of the lip, or some slight occasion may
for moment set ajar this door of hell that
you wanted to keep closed. But suppose that
in this life you hide it, and you get along
with that transgression burning III your
heart, as q ship on fire within for days may
hinder the flame from bursting out by keep
ing down the hatchways; yet at last, in the
judgment, that iniquity will blaze out before
tie throne Of God and tile universe
Furthermore: learn from this subject the
connection between all events
however remote Lord Hastings was be-
headed one year after he had caused the
death of the queens children, in the very
month, the very day, the very hour, and the
very moment. There is wonderful precision
in the Divine judgments. Tho universe is
only one thought of God. Those things
which seem fragnentary and isolated are
only different parts of that one great thought
How fur apart seemed these two events
Joseph sold to the Arabian merchants and
the rulership of Egypt. Yet you see in what
mysterious way God connected the two in one
plan. So ali events are linked together. You
who are aged can look back and group together
a thousand things i'll your life that once seemed
One undivided chain of events